Box of horse manure addressed to US treasury secretary

FILE - In this Sept. 21, 2017, file photo, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin speaks at a news briefing at the Hilton Midtown hotel during the United Nations General Assembly, in New York. Authorities said a gift-wrapped box of horse manure addressed to Mnuchin was found near his home in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki, File)

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Authorities say a gift-wrapped box of horse manure addressed to U.S. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin (mih-NOO’-shin) was found near his home in Los Angeles.

The package was found Saturday night in the tony Bel Air neighborhood after it was dropped off at a neighbor’s house.

The Los Angeles Police Department’s bomb squad was called to the home and officers opened the box, finding a pile of horse manure inside. Police said the package had been gift-wrapped and was marked as being from “the American people.”

Police said the Secret Service was taking over the investigation. A Secret Service spokesman said the agency was aware of the incident but declined to comment further.

A spokesman for the Treasury Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment Sunday.